| Abstract: | In order to study the first steps of incorporation of lipids in recent organic-rich sediments into free and bound fractions, we have selected the Santa Barbara Basin, off California. This basin with a maximum of 590 m water depth is characterized by high phytoplankton production in surface waters and a low oxygen content in bottom waters. Sediments show the following features: high sedimentation rate ≈ 4 mm/yr, no bioturbation, and development of a bacterial mat community at the surface with predominance of sulphur-oxidizing bacteria trapping particles, thus preventing re-distribution of sediment, which permit a unique observations of organic sedimentation on a new few years basis.A sediment core has been divided into 2 cm thick slices corresponding to a time resolution of ≈5 years, from 1835 up to 1987. Samples have been analyzed using a multi-parameter approach, such as for plankton species identification, carbon stable isotope ratios and, as reported here, for lipid organic tracers. Organic tracers have been analyzed in the sterol and fatty series for both free and bound compounds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.The incorporation processes of sterols with depth appear different for free and bound compounds. Total free sterol concentrations show high values in surface sediments (≈ 100 μg/g dry sediment), rapidly decrease up to ≈ 10 cm depth and remain at a constant value of 30–40 μg/g. Total bound sterol concentrations show low values in surface sediment (13.6 μg/g), and vary irregularly with depth up to a value of 55 μg/g at 7.3 m, and then remain constant at 25–26 μg/g.Profiles of evolution with depth of free C27, C28 sterols show a regular decrease, whereas C29 sterols show an irregular decrease with anomalies at 7.3 cm (approximately age: 1977–1978) and at 14.1 cm (1962–1964). Profiles of bound compounds are rather different, very regular for C28 sterols, irregular with oscillations for C27 and C29 sterols at 7.3, 12.2 and 18.0 cm (1954–1956), suggesting a different mode of incorporation and probably different inputs for C27, C29 and C28 sterols.The study of the kinetics of degradation of sterols between surface (1987) and 10.5 cm (1968–1972) shows that C27 compounds are degraded at a slight higher rate (0.53 μg/μg of initial C27 concentration/ year) than are C28 and C29 compounds (0.047 μg/μg of initial concentration/year). An intermediate value is found for brassicasterol: 0.049 μg/μg/year. |
